Weightlifting/Bodybuilding

[Renegade 0]

Although it isn't really for building muscle, gym balls do wonders for toning.

[Guest Brian]

You can do wonders with a medicine ball on the abs.

[Guest Shoes Head]

So I'm trying to add more pounds of RAW MUSCLE to my big, lanky frame. I'm sure some of you have tried to do this or at least whip yourselves into decent shape. Now, I'm not completely helpless (I gots MAD resources, yo) but just curious to what worked for you.

 

So for the weightlifters out there, how do you go about your routines?

I train under Eastern (Commie) Bloc principles. Consistency and diet are key. I'm a firm believer that it's of little consequence if you do low weight/high reps, or high weight/low reps. Your muscles are shaped by your genes and there's really no way to change that. The key to mass is in the diet, not in the routine.

 

Along with dieting, switch you exercise routine bi-weekly. One week, high number of sets, normal rest time, normal weight then the next week high reps, low rest time, etc etc. Switching it up and "shocking the muscles" get your swollen up and QUICKLY. I also believe that any workout over an hour is overtraining (20 mins-60 mins per workout is enough) and that training a 6-short-day schedule is better than a 4-regular-day schedule.

 

I don't usually talk about my techniques with other weightlifters/bodybuilders/gym meatheads because I break all the rules and it's always "you're doing this wrong wrong wrong." However, at my peak of a man 5'8" - I was 180, bench pressing 225 and had a 32 1/2" waist, so I got the last laugh. I don't exercise much anymore because it raises your liver enzymes, and I can't get into clinical studies with a high enzyme count.

[Guest bigm350]

I was just coming on here (after an extended hiatus) to post regarding this subject. I was fat til last year- 175 pounds or so at 5'8"- but I got down to 125-130. Now I'm trying to add muscle.

 

I just got a gym membership a couple weeks ago and am doing well, but these routines could definitely help me out.

Why would you want to lose that much weight? 175 lbs at a height of 5'8" isn't heavy at all. If you are concerned about losing weight but gaining muscle then you should do cardio, lift relatively heavy weights for a number of sets and reps, and eat a ton of protein but watch carb intake. Also, creatine helps with muscle endurance and energy.

[CanadianChick 0]

Yeah, 125 lbs for a guy is hella skinny. Hell, I have more muscle than you, and I'm a relatively skinny chick.

 

Granted I did workout this summer for good 'ol volleyball, so I might have an edge.

 

And about good form: it is the number one important thing. I've seen many of my friends get injured because their form sucks.

[iliketurtles 0]

My main advice is don't eat crap. I remember Lance Storm saying in a commentary that when you eat, you have to look at it as re-feuling your body, not spoiling it.

[Sass 0]

Where's Sass when we really need him?...

 

Nah, everything of the utmost importance was said better by a a gang of people smarter than me.

 

Brian should consider becoming a phsyical trainer. He's eons better at giving explanations for how to do workout lifts and such than I could. Form, repetition, good nutrition and doing things in moderation are the essentials. Short form and all that.

 

I see too many fat kids at the daycare I work at. I mean *FAT* fuckin kids whose parents should have their faces crippled for over feeding their children and not having them do some sort of exercise to counter attack the fat these kids are stomaching.

 

But I digress...

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

TV and Videogames..

[Guest Brian]

You guys are asking for a lot. I'll see what I can do, but I'll warn you, I have no big guidelines or strict rules.

[iliketurtles 0]

Anything is better than nothing. Thanks if you can.

[Guest Brian]

I'll start with today. I did chest today, which is normally my monday workout but I've been sick for a good part of the last two weeks.

 

First, your going to have to understand that the things I do are specifically tailored to me, though the general template is pretty universal IMO. When I go into the gym, I never, ever have a plan. I feel things out, and I have to see what I have to work with, in terms of people around and workout partners.

 

General rules for me, things I try to follow. Always form first. I like to use different motions as much as possible. Variety in exercises, gettign the most out of the free weights but also cables and machines. I like to switch up between sets of long reps, for endurance and definition, and short reps with heavy weights for bulk.

 

Onto my workout today. Odd day because, like I said, I was coming back from being sick and had basically had some light workouts two weeks ago and almost nothing last week, but I felt pretty strong. I wake up and I hit the gym first thing before classes start, get the blood flowing and also because generally, people lift better in the morning when their bodies are rested and their BMR is lower. No food due to the sideache.

 

When I get to the gym, I start out on cardio. I've had knee problems as of late, so that means 15-20 minutes of walking at a high incline. That's the time interval I recommend. Normally, I'd do an hour on crosstrainer and run hills outside my gym, but my knee isn't in shape to take such. Warming up serves a couple of purposes, but mainly it gets the blood flowing and the muscles loose before you stretch. I spend alot of time stretching, because I value flexibility and I don't value being injured. I stretch for a good fifteen minutes most day, and stretch all over after cardio because it's good to stretch out your lower too after a workout, even if you're not hitting the weights.

 

As for lifting, my upper body aim is 15-20 sets, with a minute breaks in between. I always start chest days on the bench; habit, about the only thing I do regularly. Slow and controlled, get a good pace on the bench and get your breathing set, exhaling on lift and inhaling on the way down. Today, I did a half pyramid, a climb, step-ups, whatever you may have heard them called. I started at a light weight where I could punch out 15 reps, built up to a point where I was doing lighter (between 5-8 reps). When I do a climb on the chest, I like to do 2 sets per step, whereas in a pyramid I usually do one set per step (up or down). I warmed up on the bench at 135, with a wheel on each side, about 20 reps. I don't count my warm-up Today, I started at 225 (two wheels, meaning two 45 lb. plates on each end of a 45 lb. bar) for 15 reps, two sets at that level. 2 sets of about the same reps with a dime (10 lbs.) on each side. Next is a quarter (25 lbs., the dimes come off) for 12 reps. Add a dime to that for 8-10 reps for another two sets, and then three wheels for 3-8 reps, one or two sets depending how I feel.

 

The bench workout generally gets me into the the eight to ten set range. There's two ways to look at this. For me, I like to start off with the lights weights and in a way, build momentum. It feels better, and I tend to gain strengh as things go along. For some though, they find it easier after warming up to go heavy. The thought process behind this is that when you're fresher, you can lift more, and then after you've hit it hard, you go and essentially burn out, by building the endurance at the end. For some it works, and I've seen little to recommend otherwise. It's a personal deal, and one of those things where you're going to have to see how you feel. Some days, I do this, but it tends to net me less sets (between 4-6), and I usually finish workouts that begin that way with hundreds of pushups.

 

You can also augment the motion by doing negatives; just bring the weight down and a slower pace, really controlling the downswing (and you should keep it controlled anyways) at a count, usually five to eight seconds. You can pyramid, and my method is that you build to the top, and then take larger increments going down where you're more tired. I liek the small increments going up, but with less sets you want to use bigger (if any) increments. Sometimes, you get in and you just want to do four sets of twelve, and twelve is a good number because it's really borderline in terms of bulk and endurance (generally 8-12 is bulk and 12-15 is endurance, though numbers differ from person to person) and is good for building I've found. I think I've gone over most combinations on the bench that I use.

 

After the bench, I'm looking for either a different motion to group things together. I like to use the dumbbells at this point, because you can get alot more focus. Sometimes one arm doesn't work as hard on the bench for whatever reason, as a single bar you may get alot of push from one side and the other, in essence, just gets carried with the momentum. Two basic chest exercises you can do with the dumbbells; flies (or is it fly's) and press. I like flies, and like I said, it's good to use a different movement. Either way though. I'm shooting for four sets, either long or near the middle (12-10). Usually after going heavy on the bench, I like to go for the former, which is what I did, at 75 lbs. I really, really pay attention to form, getting wide at the bottom and really curling in, getting a good squeeze, with each rep. Sometimes I like the to use the dumbbell chest press because it really gets a good burn and is a nice way to finish out after a bench workout, doing something that focuses on that exact same motion but also really makes each side work hard and equally. 13 sets at this point.

 

Sometimes, rather that going back to the bench, I like to use a lateral (sitting) press. At the gym I go to, it's a hybrid that you load up like a free weight but your motion is set. This is generally a machine workout, which restricts the movement and doesn't build strength in the periphreal muscles (like the rotator cuffs). I like heavy weight at this point, to just pile on from the bench press. Five or six reps, four wheels on each side for me.

 

Back to my workout. I've got thirteen set under my belt, and I want to stay under 20 sets, so I'm thinking along the lines of two exercises, three sets a piece. Like I said, mixing it up is important. Today, I went after the exrcise above, 3 sets of 8 reps (3 wheels and a quarter). I'm a little tired, but I want to come off that endurance group with something strong. For my last set, I used the machine fly, which for me is a lateral. Laterals tend to be easier when not working against gravity. I'm shooting for endurance to end it (and I generally like to do the last set that way), sets of fifteen. I shoot for longer sets at the end because I like to really stretch out my muscles at the end, really letting the blood run through.

 

Really with chest, there's not a lot of choices. I can get a lot more mileage with other body parts, but chest is more limited. With a cable you can copy most of the basic motions, with a lateral and lying fly, but also single arms as a way to isolate. I find it best in this case to lead with one foot; it'll help keep the back straight and from leaning, which is something you have to watch for. Don't lean into any upright seated or standing exercises. It's bad for posture, and you should train your muscles to flex at a natural position. It's mainly the same motions and exercises, and I'll see if I can think of some more later.

 

After doing a chest workout, I usually due a short cardio, another fifteen minutes, which helps to ditribute the acids and blood that builds up where your muscles are, in addition to short stretching at the end. Crosstrainers are good because they usually have the arm motion. When my knee is healthy, I usually do legs on a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday routine, so I'll get into that tomorrow. I'm doing PT twice a week on legs' days.

 

After that, I do core (everyday). Core isn't just abs; you need to work for balance with the abs too, so you have to aim for the lower back. I mentioned negatives earlier, and you can negative a sit-up by not going down all the way, stopping eight or so inches above ground. Don't miss the lower abs; you can do leg lifts, dropping eight inches above ground and going up elevating you BUTT above the ground, or when you hit a 45 degree angle at the top, you can spread your legs. There's a ton of core exercises you can do and I'll write them up near the end of the week, but my recommendation is find a medicine ball and a yoga ball (65 cm is for average height males, around 5'10-6'2) and you can do a ton of things.

 

More installments forthcoming, hope I got everything.

[iliketurtles 0]

Great stuff. Thanks for posting.

[Guest Brian]

Tuesday's biceps (I'm a day behind), and usually a legs day but I'm on a PT schedule at the moment. So I'll give you the rund down for biceps.

 

Biceps offers a ton of possibilities. I'll go through exercises first, then I'll go through structuring a workout plan since there's a lot of misconceptions and exercises.

 

I love biceps. I love workign them. There's so much to do, so many different exercises. Lots of variety, always good to have in a workout. Last post, we went for the 15-20 set range. Same thing here. Start with a standard bicep curl, standing. You can either use the dumbbells or the barbell. Form first, back straight, neck up (spine) Lead out a little with your arms, so when you lift, your elbow bends in front of your body. This helps to isolate the muscle, which is a big with the smaller muscles. Get your timing down, don't, and I emphasize, SWING YOUR ARMS. This ias the worst thing, and alot of people, myself included, do this. It's common to want to push off, and understandable. Pause at the bottom, then go up. Keep your hands perpendicular to your body at al times. If you start swinging your back, lean up against a wall. Keep your head up, because not only can you strain your neck, but you should be getting your posture together when you lift. Heck, we all want to look good when we're standing up, so why try to build that form from a bad position? I should have mentioned this before, but never when you're lifting (except between sets) lock your joints. Between reps, keep it at a slight angle. Locking joints removes pressure from the muscles, letting them be lazy, while also putting pressure on the joints when you lift up.

 

As for the actual lift, I like to use that pyramid-up deal with the dumbbells, and a 4 set at the same weight if I'm using the barbell, since I use a 45 lb. barbell to start with it's harder to go up in increments. On the dumbbells if you're at gym, you usually have those dumbbells pre-set with five pound increments. Just work your way up, with breaks between sets. If you start at a weight you can do 15 reps, alternating arms, you should get in5-6 sets. But you can build on this alot more. You can double barrel it, lifting from both arms at the same time. This is harder to keep form, but also tends to give you less reps. You can also super-set, cutting rest time out. Or you can do hammer curls, basically turning your hands slightly so that rather than having your palms facing straight out, they face toward your body at all times. You can pyramid, and I woulkd go up in single increments then go down skipping until you get even more reps. Or you can do 4 sets of 12. Lots of combinations.

 

Second, I like to go heavy. Grab a big weight and really focus. You can either stay with the standing curl. What I prefer is to go real heavy and do a form of preacher curl. Basically you set up the bench at an upright position, semi-squat from the side, and lean your arm against the front of it. You really isolate the muscle doing this, and you can go heavy at the same time. Another good exercise is a sitting curl, bench in the same position. I like 4 sets of twelve or eight. Or you can put the bench back in the lying position, and do a type of curl from your back. Arms extended, slightly below the bench, and curl. Another good exercise for isolation.

 

I like to move to the cables next. I can double arm or single arm here, and I can do it with a lot of variety. I absolutely love to pair up different motions for a super set, and I'll talk about that after I talk about the basic lifts. First, double arm. You can do a basic lfit, or you can lift with your palms down rather than up, doing a reverse curl. Great for the lower part of the bicep near the elbow. Next, you can lie on the bench and curl up to your forehead, keeping your elbow in place (and you should aim to do this everytime so you don't swing your arms.

 

I've left out the preacher curl so far with good reason. Lots of variety; you can do it with a curl bar (that irregularly shaped bar) or on the machine. I often like to end m exercises with this, and on the last set do a burn out, by starting at a high weight and lifting to the point of failure, then dropping a plate or two at a time and working to point of failure at each weight until you get to a point where you're doing a light weight for twenty or so reps. You're biceps will be spent.

 

I hope I got everything, post any questions if you need better descripitions.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Brian, what are your maxes and how big are you, out of curiosity?

[Guest Brian]

I don't really measure or max out. History of injurieson the latter. I'm 6'1, about 230-240. I have about a 35 waist right now. I'm dropping so I'm right in between, but not measuring. My arms are about 21"; 20" last time I checked. I've put up 405 before on the bench, but I haven't gone that high in months (I haven't had a partner to lift with since the start of school, and my summer was not the best for lifting due to injury). As far as leg press, I could rep in the 900-1000 lb. range at the start of the summer. Squat, unsure, I never lift very high and always go for reps.

 

As for the last exercise I posted, remember to do the strecthing, warming up, and core for every workout.

 

On Friday, when I write up shoulder, I also will recommend that you do rotator cuff workout and forearms. I'll go over this, but the idea is you round out the periphreals at the end of the week.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

What do different motions like hammer curls do for you as opposed to normal ones? I'm already pretty strong, so I'm looking more for definition than anything else.

[Black Lushus 0]

I'm already pretty strong

 

 

 

 

 

 

just kidding!

 

 

Anyway, for me, I run everyday for the cardio aspect...I lift heavy every other day, legs one day, upper body the next, rest in between...situps and pushups everyday...and I eat whatever the hell I want, so no dieting...been doin it for years, and though I don't gain huge muscle mass (metabolism and all), I still remain decently cut and in shape...though the increase in beer consumption over the years is battling my situp routine heavily!

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Do you still think that skinny emo kid picture Incandenza has is me? That's cool if you do.

[Black Lushus 0]

no, it's been made clear since then you're not...just givin you shit, my man, chill...

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I was really hoping you still thought that was me. Humor me.

[Black Lushus 0]

come on...i'm dumb but not THAT dumb...

[Guest Brian]

What do different motions like hammer curls do for you as opposed to normal ones? I'm already pretty strong, so I'm looking more for definition than anything else.

Well, when you tone your biceps, just like the name implies, you have to work both parts of the muscle; brachii inner head and the biceps brachii outer head. There's also a third muscle, the brachialis, which is the small egg-shaped muscle on the side of your arms that is situated between the bulk of the outer head of the biceps and the outer head of the triceps. You basically need to hit all three to get a good tone, and many lifts will hit two parts of the muscle. Hammer curls will hit the outer head of the muscle really nicely.

 

Triceps are coming.

[Cherry Blossom Viscount 0]

Who cares about losing wieght, how do you gain it?

[mister foozel 0]

Who cares about losing wieght, how do you gain it?

eat , work out, and take as much roids as you can pump into your veins (just kidding, but a buddy of mine tells me he is going on roids soon, which is pretty damn ridiculous)

 

big weights, few reps

 

i personally eat whatever i can and workout whenever i can

[Guest wildpegasus]

Who cares about losing wieght, how do you gain it?

eat , work out, and take as much roids as you can pump into your veins (just kidding, but a buddy of mine tells me he is going on roids soon, which is pretty damn ridiculous)

 

big weights, few reps

 

i personally eat whatever i can and workout whenever i can

Too few reps is actually more of a weightlifting routine. It adds strength more than mass when compared to having your reps between oh I don't know 6 to 20 reps. Can be hard on the joints too. YOu really have to be careful when doing 1 rep maximums or sets with very few reps. Lots of people don't even do 1 reps maximums for that very reason.

[1234-5678 0]

Damn, you guys give a lot of advice, and are very detailed. That being said...........

 

"Self improvement is masturbation"----Tyler Durden

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I like masturbating.

[1234-5678 0]

Checkmate.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

see too many fat kids at the daycare I work at. I mean *FAT* fuckin kids whose parents should have their faces crippled for over feeding their children and not having them do some sort of exercise to counter attack the fat these kids are stomaching.

 

Sass works in daycare? Do the children climb you and swing on a tire tied to a rope suspended from your arms? Christ, you're like a human version of Clifford the big red dog.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

and hey, if you're in charge of them while the folks are at work..make them exercise. Do 100 situps or you get no food.